Coast Guard: Platform on fire in Gulf; 13 workers rescued — [Updated at 2:14 p.m.] For continuing coverage of the incident involving a production platform on fire in the Gulf read the full story here. — [Updated at 2:08 p.m.] U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Elizabeth Bordelon tells CNN …

Gulf oil platform explodes, burning off La. coast — GRAND ISLE, La. - An offshore petroleum platform exploded and was burning Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico about 80 miles off the Louisiana coast, west of the site where BP's undersea well spilled after a rig explosion.

iReport: Did you see the explosion? Share images — [Updated at 12:31 p.m.] All thirteen people aboard a production platform that exploded in the Gulf are accounted for and safely on a commercial vessel according to initial information, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement.

BREWER'S PAINFULLY LONG PAUSES.... I've seen politicians freeze on the air when confronted with a tough question for which they're unprepared, but going blank during a debate's opening statement? This is a new one. — Ben Smith reported, “Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's opening statement …

Sixty Days to Go — The Crystal Ball's Labor Day Predictions — Larry J. Sabato, Director, U.Va. Center for Politics — For decades I've advised students to let the facts speak for themselves, while avoiding the indulgence of shouting at the facts. In other words, we should take in …

Dodge Charger owner upset vehicle crushed by suicidal fall — Tweet — Her car was crushed — and so is she. — A New Jersey woman is devastated that her precious sports car — just repaired and fully gassed up — was wrecked by a suicidal man's 40-story attempted death leap on the Upper West Side.

Democrats unlikely to repeal tax cuts for the rich — WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress are poised to play a leading role this month in thwarting their party's effort to raise income tax rates on the wealthy. — Tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 expire at the end of this year.

How Barack Obama Became Mr. Unpopular — The Barack Obama that most Hoosiers remember voting for can still be found on YouTube. He stands before a cheering Elkhart high school gymnasium in August 2008, tireless, aspirational, promising a new America of jobs and hope.

Warren fuels speculation by dropping class — When fall classes began Wednesday at Harvard Law School, Elizabeth Warren was scheduled to be teaching contract law to first-year students. But something happened on the way to the chalkboard. — “I'm writing to let you know that Professor Jerry Frug …

It's Important To Be Right — I previously expressed hope that Markos Moulitsas' American Taliban: How War, Sex, Sin, and Power Bind Jihadists and the Radical Right would be better than the publicity material suggested. Jamelle Bouie read it for The American Prospect and reports back that it isn't.

Rupert Murdoch's War On The New York Times — “I read the Journal a little less now. I find that I can skim it in a way I couldn't before. If the Journal is gaining market share I'd guess it is more at the expense of USA Today than the Times,” New York Times executive editor Bill Keller tells Vanity Fair writer Sarah Ellison.

A Dream House After All — IF you read the coverage of the latest figures on the sales of existing homes from the National Association of Realtors, you may well have come to the conclusion that the American dream is dead. It is indeed worrisome that sales in July were down 25 percent from a year ago.

Lazio Up 12 Pts. In New York GOP Primary For Governor, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Dems Still Don't Know Who's Running For Attorney General — Former Congressman Rick Lazio leads businessman Carl Paladino 47 - 35 percent among New York State Republican likely primary voters in the race for Governor …

The profound mystery of the “enthusiasm gap” — I'm somewhat pressed for time today, but wanted to note the following items, all of which are significant in their own right and, taken together, make an important point: — (1) Huffington Post's Sam Stein notes the increasing number …

GOP Rep. Cao: ‘I love the president’ — Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.) said he loves President Obama on a personal level, and believes that the president likes him very much, too. — Cao, a Republican elected in 2008 in a heavily Democratic district in New Orleans, said that he gets along …

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